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Ryan Bennett

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Can we finally put to bed this ridiculous idea that he should be at CB ahead of Martin?

We''ve looked no better defensively this season with him at CB (today, Birmingham and Cardiff spring to mind) and with our aim of playing out the back he hinders our ability to do that - how many times today did he just stand still rather than run into the space in front of him made available that Martin normally takes advantage of?

On top of that - Preston''s first chance should make it clear his positioning is worse than Martins too - caught out and in behind way too easily.

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He has never quite made it. Never quite convinced.

Old enough and experienced but seems destined to never be included in the long line of City central defending greats.

Great promise and Lambert''s vision was partially exonerated as RB owes the Club nothing but, like Jason Shackell, he could well benefit from a move on.

We desperately need a new and commanding centre back and if we do go up I would hope that Ryan Bennett remains in the Championship.

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The first thing to say is. Ryan Bennett of course wasn''t the sole reason we lost. There were a lot of substandard performances today all over the place.

However, the bottom line is that he''s been managed by Lambert, Hughton, Adams and Neil. Yet not one of them has deemed him fit to be a regular starter in their teams. This is largely because his distribution is poor and he also struggles against forwards who make clever runs down the sides of him.

Perhaps the most disappointing element is that he has shown no tangible improvement or sign of development despite being with the club for nearly 5 years.

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I would also add though that in my opinion Klose hasn''t looked a step above the rest of our defenders for the majority of this season

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I completely agree. I was expecting Klose to be the difference at this level and that hasn''t been the case at all. He''s struggled at times (particularly the Ipswich game) and I think he has had a rude awakening about this division. However, he still remains our best centre back a comfortable margin - not that he''s got hordes of competition right now.

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Bennett is just so ordinary. And he''s always looked that way.

Agree that Klose hasn''t really shown himself to be significantly better.

Really we don''t like any better defensively than we did when we had Ward and Barnett, certainly no better than Bassong and Turner in that first season and probably not any better than Bassong and Martin when we went up last time.

AN is quite a conservative/defence minded manager but yet he and his team can''t tighten us up.

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didn''t think he was that bad defensively today bar that first stack where he looked really slow catching up to the Preston forward. strangely enough it was our slow tempo that I felt let us down today. I think if pritchard had started we may have won that game. we looked far more dangerous with him there.

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That''s one way of looking at it I guess.

For me though Klose is a top defender made to look less than he is because he is constantly left exposed (along with the other CD''s) by the way we set up.

The full backs push up. The CD''s have to drift wide to cover behind them and we get caught out through the middle. The CD''s then look like they are out of position.

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Perhaps old "Stonewall" Turner should be back in the reckoning ... he could sure defend .... if not much else.

(Actually, he scored one or two in the Premier League as well.)

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Today was more an issue of Bennett''s distribution than his actual defending. He''s very reluctant to bring the ball out from the back and as a result it means the full backs (which are a vital part of Neil''s offensive strategy to overload the midfield) are in a much deeper starting position as a result and cannot affect the game as much.

That''s absolutely crucial when you''ve got Murphy and Brady drifting infield looking for the ball, as it means the central areas of the pitch become very congested. It was no coincidence we ran into numerous dead ends as a result today. Clearly it would be wrong to blame Bennett solely for this but it was a significant contributing factor.

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I don''t think it''s the full backs that are the reason Klose is being exposed more than he should be. Unfortunately, I think Tettey is having a rather abject season so far. His passing is wayward and his touch very poor. He''s also offering very little by way of protection to our back 4.

For a man who has served us with great distinction in that role it is a truly worrying thing to see as Mulumbu cannot be relied upon nor can Thompson to adequately replace him. Factor in Howson''s absence until January at least and suddenly the midfield, which I regarded as a strong suit got us, looks rather brittle.

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That''s a good point about Tetty, Jacko. I''d go along with that.

I wasn''t blaiming the full backs for pushing on. It''s a decent enough attacking tactic but it does leave the defence exposed sometimes. It makes Tetty''s job a vital one so when he''s off form it can make a big difference.

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Tettey and Dorans is not a great combination at home and without Pinto bombing down the wing we were narrow, slow and unable to create.

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Let''s not beat round the bush, all our defenders bar Pinto have been very average, no matter what combo players we look at sea when under pressure. As for Tettey, Mullumbu, Dorrans or Howson why the hell are we playing two holding midfielders in this division? It adds to pressure as we sit so deep we don''t pick up balls being cleared!

Bring back the diamond with quick wingers and two forwards!

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Two DM''s because that''s what the manager sees at the way to shore up the defence. Not really the answer is it?

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We play wing-backs and probably two of the best in the league.

By definition we are therefore weaker defensively. Two defensive midfielders compensates, but it''s not always working too well.

The England side has two or three super wing-backs but is vulnerable defensively in a similar manner.

We need a commanding central defender for sure, but also a proper full back on the bench to hold a game better.

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With Pinto injured during the warm up it meant hasty decisions had to be made.

But we looked really unbalanced with RM at right back and the two DM''s

Perhaps AN felt he didn''t want to mess things around too much after losing Pinto but sadly that was the wrong decision.

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Anyone suggesting Russell Martin is a better central defender than Ryan Bennett needs their bumps feeling !!

Granted he is better on the ball and carrying it out from the back HOWEVER the prime objective of a CD is to defend

What Russell does offer over Ryan is ''attitude'' he is vocal, organised and willing to battle for the shirt.....I often feel Ryan is happy to collect his weekly pay cheque ?

Now the real question is how/why that attitude has manifested (and believe me Ryan is the only guilty party)

Personally I lay the blame at the managers door.....he certainly doesnt appear to have the man management skills needed to keep the ''unit'' bonded and as often alluded to prefers to play the chosen few (even out of position) rather than distribute the workload effectively keeping everyone feeling as if they are involved/integral to the clubs success.

Playing Wes and Tettey 3 times in a week when we have a squad of the size and ability we do is sheer lunacy !

Dont get me wrong I am not calling for the guys head but he needs to broaden his horizon and stop being so predictable.....at present he is nothing more than a bang average manager of which the league is peppered, conversely in 20 years time he could prove to be the new Fergie and his time at Narridge pivotal in helping to form that

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Surely this all should be sorted out on the training ground but when you have a coach''s who has no experience of anything better than the Ryman League then you are going to struggle

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RB clearly not interested off in the summer. AN doesn''t rate. Klose not impressing which means no move to Pl anytime soon needs to get interested in bossing the defence.

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Again, RB in the heart of out defence and it''s a complete shambles.

Saying that, Klose was also diabolical. I know he''s a fans favourite but he really hasn''t offered us anything more than Martin, and everyone''s slated him for the last season.

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The thing is, can you blame him for not being 100pc sharp or not having his head and heart in the right place for the club?

I''m not one of his biggest fans at all but that was far from Ryan Bennett at his best, I believe it''s down to how he''s being used and he''s not the only one.

Neil not using, keeping sharp or getting the best out of the squad well enough.

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